


Take Care

by rowrowrowthatsme



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Meetings, M/M, Sickfic, jaemin just needs a nap, nomin-centric, overall just really soft, soulmates feel sparks when they touch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowrowrowthatsme/pseuds/rowrowrowthatsme
Summary: Jaemin just wants to make it through his midterms and win the big basketball game at the end of the week, but getting sick makes his already tough week nearly impossible. But maybe meeting a certain someone can turn this week from hell into one he'll cherish forever.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Liu Yang Yang, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 2
Kudos: 166





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> This is a largely self-indulgent fic based on my own bad life decisions such as playing in multiple high school volleyball games despite having a high fever and bronchitis, taking all my midterms during my last semester of college with pneumonia, and overall just never getting enough sleep or taking care of myself. I basically just wrote this to work through stuff and indulge in writing a very cute and fluffy Nomin fic. I figured I might as well post it because hopefully someone out there will enjoy it!
> 
> Also big thank you to my best friend and beta reader Grace <3

This really was not Jaemin’s week.

It all started on Sunday night when he had felt a cold coming on, so he drank some tea, took some medicine, and got a solid four hours of sleep. Why didn’t he go to sleep earlier, you ask? Well, because the next day was the start of midterms, and Jaemin had no intention of failing. He may not be the smartest kid in class, but he was a decent student with hopes of attending university in a couple of years. Jaemin also wanted to make his parents proud, and since they were usually away on business, a report card was an easy way to show them he was doing well.

Fighting a headache and the telltale signs of a stuffy nose, Jaemin forced himself through the study materials for his first exam (Pre-Calculus, ugh), cursed his immune system for not doing better, and eventually crashed around 2:30 am.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Jaemin woke up feeling like shit. His throat hurt, his nose was stuffy, and overall he was just completely exhausted. After a hot shower, he was feeling a bit more awake and ready to face the day. He got ready for school and stumbled downstairs to find his brother Taeyong cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

“Morning, Nana! Food will be ready in just a minute. Did you sleep well?”

Taeyong’s chipper greeting was met with an unenthusiastic grunt as Jaemin beelined for the fresh pot of coffee on the countertop.

Taeyong glanced at his brother as he began serving the food.

“Are you feeling alright, Nana?” His brows furrowing as he took in Jaemin’s appearance. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m okay, hyung. Just stayed up studying later than I should have. I think I have a bit of a cold too, but nothing serious, don’t worry.”

Jaemin tried to give his brother a smile to ease his worries, but it came off as more of a grimace.

Taeyong, now even more concerned than before, turned off the stove and moved across the kitchen towards his brother.

“It doesn’t feel like you have a fever,” Taeyong said as he felt Jaemin’s forehead with the back of his hand. He began to rake his hand through his little brother’s hair, just like he did when Jaemin was little and feeling sick or upset. He couldn’t help but lean into the comforting touch, closing his eyes and letting himself relax for just a moment. “Do you want to stay home today? I can always call the school and— “

“I have midterms all week, hyung! I can’t miss any school!” Jaemin knew there was no way he would be able to bring his grades back up if he skipped any of his exams. “I’ll be good as new with some medicine, promise.”

Taeyong looked like he wanted to argue, but it was pretty hard to say no to Jaemin’s pleading eyes. The older boy sighed and pulled the younger into a hug.

“Alright, but let me know if it gets any worse, okay? School matters, but your health is the most important, never forget that. Now, eat up before your food gets cold, I’ll go grab you some medicine.”

As Taeyong released him, Jaemin found himself missing the warm embrace. His brother was the most important person in his life. Taeyong had practically raised Jaemin for the past few years while simultaneously attending college. Although Jaemin hated making him worry, he couldn’t let himself fall behind in school.

Jaemin slumped down in his seat to try and eat his breakfast, but between his sore throat and inability to taste due to his stuffy nose, he was only able to eat about half of the food on his plate.

The sound of a car horn signaling Jaehyun’s arrival interrupted the brothers just as Jaemin was washing down the pills Taeyong passed him, causing him to choke a bit on his coffee. Taeyong patted his back as he coughed, standing up to grab his bag.

“I have classes most of the day and I’m teaching at the studio tonight, but if you need anything at all, just text or call me, okay? And if you feel worse, go to the nurse. And if you need to come home, Jaehyun can always come pick you up. We probably have time to drop you off at school before our classes start, it’s only a few minutes from the university, do you want a ride?” He finished, finally taking a second to breathe.

Jaemin couldn’t help but smile at his big brother’s fretting. He knew most teenagers would find it annoying or maybe even condescending, but Jaemin could only feel his heart swell with love for his brother who often acted more like his parent.

“You worry too much, hyung. A cold won’t kill me, and I’ll be good as new once the caffeine and medicine kicks in. I’ll just walk to school with my friends like normal, the fresh air might wake me up a bit. Now go on, hyung, you can’t leave your soulmate waiting in the driveway forever! Tell Jaehyun-hyung hi from me! Love you, hyung.”

With a little pout on his lips, Taeyong made his way to the front door, slipping on his shoes and unlocking the door.

“Okay, if you’re sure… love you, Nana. I hope you feel better, and good luck on your exam today!” Taeyong waved as he stepped out the door, pausing to make one last comment. “And don’t go to basketball practice if you still aren’t feeling good later!”

“Bye, hyung!” Jaemin yelled as the door swung shut.

Crap. Basketball practice. That was gonna suck. Usually they had shorter practices during exam week, but not this year. Instead, some idiot had mixed up the dates and scheduled the big game against their school’s rival, SM High, for the Thursday of midterm exam week.

Jaemin let his head fall into his hands, taking a deep breath that turned into a small coughing fit. He tapped his phone screen to check the time. 7:10. He had to meet Jisung at the bus stop in 5 minutes, so he forced himself into a standing position and went to grab his things before heading out.

As soon as he stepped outside of his apartment building, Jaemin was hit by a cold wind.

“I should’ve worn a scarf,” Jaemin muttered to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets and hunkering down to try to protect himself from the unseasonably cold weather. He remembered Taeyong telling him just yesterday that this week would be particularly frigid, and Jaemin could practically hear him nagging, “don’t forget your hat, gloves, and scarf or you’ll freeze to death, Nana!”

As he approached the bus stop, Jaemin saw a couple office workers and one boy in a school uniform matching his own scrolling on his phone.

“Jisungie! Good morning!” Jaemin called out with a smile on his face, running the last few steps to the younger boy before giving him a big hug (partly out of habit, and partly in search for warmth).

Jisung startled at the feeling of Jaemin’s arms around him, but quickly relaxed before trying to push Jaemin’s arms away without much effort.

“Morning, hyung,” Jisung replied, taking in the dark circles and pale skin marring Jaemin’s usually bright face. “You look like… crap.”

Jaemin gasped as if offended by the comment, bringing his hand to his chest while staring at Jisung with a look of horror.

“Yah, is that any way to speak to your favorite hyung?” Jaemin exclaimed, swatting at Jisung’s shoulder.

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t have a favorite hyung…” Jisung muttered, crossing his arms and shivering a bit from a particularly strong gust of wind. Jaemin saw this as an opportunity to warm both of them up, so he hooked his arm through his dongsaeng’s. Typically, Jisung would push him away or complain, but today he was either too tired or too cold to care, so Jisung just held still and let Jaemin do as he pleased, which resulted in Jaemin resting his head on Jisung’s shoulder (and maybe taking a quick two minute nap).

Once their bus arrived after a few minutes, the two boys separated and stepped onto the bus, tapping their cards and heading to the back where they knew their friends would be waiting. In the very last row, Jaemin spotted the two Chinese cousins that completed their little group of friends. Chenle had a big smile on his face and was waving at them, while Renjun’s head was shoved in a textbook, not even raising to acknowledge their presence.

Good mornings were exchanged (or a simple grunt in Renjun’s case) as Jisung slipped into the seat next to his soulmate, and Jaemin took the seat next to Renjun. He quickly settled down and laid his head on Renjun’s shoulder, but the slightly older boy’s attention never left his textbook. Jaemin’s focus flitted between the pages of their math book and Renjun’s very focused countenance.

“Didn’t you spend the whole weekend studying, Injunnie? Taeyong-hyung always says you won’t actually remember anything you study right before a test. And he’s getting a degree in education and psychology, so he probably knows what he’s talking about.”

“Yeah, well, I fell asleep while studying last night, so I didn’t get to review the last chapter. If I don’t do better than Seungmin on this exam, I might actually lose it.”

Renjun spared a glance at Jaemin, taking in the bags under his eyes, the pale skin, and the unfocused look in the eyes of his best friend.

“You look like you got even less sleep than I did. You gonna make it through the day?” Renjun asked, his gaze returning to his textbook with a slight frown.

“Mmm, probably. Just gotta make it through the exam this morning, I’ll probably just sleep through most of our afternoon review session. Tomorrow’s exam is history which is my best subject anyway, so it’ll be fine. Hopefully.”

Jaemin snuggled a bit closer to Renjun, who continued studying despite the Jaemin-sized growth on his side. Even though Renjun wasn’t usually big on physical affection (except sometimes with his soulmate, Yangyang, but he was studying abroad in Germany right now), he would often make exceptions for Jaemin, especially since Jaemin hadn’t met his own soulmate yet and therefore ‘didn’t have anyone to take out his excessive need to cuddle on’ (as Renjun often complained). Jaemin would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit (maybe a lot) impatient to finally meet his soulmate, but he knew it could be a while so he tried not to spend too much time thinking about the possibilities.

Soulmates like Chenle and Jisung, who met in elementary school, were pretty rare. They became best friends the very first day they met and have been inseparable ever since, but it was only in the last year that they began to date. On the other hand, Renjun had just met Yangyang a few months ago, when the latter had visited Seoul on a school trip and accidentally tripped Renjun in Sinchon Station. Jaemin, the ever-caring best friend that he was, had stood there laughing his ass off as Renjun fell flat on his face. Yangyang immediately began apologizing profusely in several different languages, grabbing Renjun’s hand to help him up, before yelping and letting go immediately.

Jaemin had just about collected himself when he noticed the pair just staring wide-eyed at one another. Before Jaemin had a chance to ask, Renjun’s hand had shot out to grab the then-stranger’s hand carefully.

A soft ‘oh my god’ fell from Renjun’s lips as he stared at their joined hands. Yangyang’s face suddenly shifted from shock to euphoria, the biggest smile lighting up his face.

“I— You— We’re soulmates!” Yangyang almost yelled, finally having settled on using Korean, and proceeding to tackle Renjun with a big hug, right in the middle of the station. Some passersby glanced at them, but most just ignored them.

After the shock had worn off and they had all introduced themselves, Yangyang explained that he had gotten separated from the group of friends he was with, but as long as he was back at their hotel by 6 pm, it was fine. So instead of continuing to get to know one another on the floor of Sinchon Station, they decided to go to a nearby coffee shop. Jaemin had tried to sneak away, but Renjun had grabbed his arm nearly tight enough to bruise and dragged him along to chaperone their first date. (Renjun later tried to justify this move by saying Yangyang might’ve been a murderer or something, but Jaemin was pretty sure he was just nervous to be alone around his newly-found soulmate.)

After the initial meeting, the two had spent every spare minute together until Yangyang had to go back to Germany. Now, they text everyday and video chat several times a week. They even have plans for Yangyang to come visit during Winter Break.

Jaemin always thought that Renjun and Yangyang’s meet-cute was adorable, and kind of dorky, which fit the pair perfectly. He always hoped to have a cute first meeting story like his friends, but Jaemin supposed that meeting one’s soulmate would be special no matter the circumstances.

Much to his chagrin, Jaemin was ripped from his thoughts as the bus pulled up to their stop. Renjun hastily shoved his textbook in his bag, and the four friends made their way off the bus and towards the school entrance.

“Hey, do you guys wanna come over and study after school today? I bet we can get Kun-ge to make us snacks! Plus if I try to study alone, I’ll probably just end up watching Netflix…” Chenle looked at his hyungs expectantly, probably assuming (correctly) that Jisung would never turn down a chance to spend time with Chenle (or to eat his older brother’s cooking).

“Fine, but if you two just end up making out instead of studying, I’m leaving and taking all the snacks with me. You’ve been warned.”

Renjun’s reply was met with a whoop of joy from Chenle, blushing from Jisung, and laughter from Jaemin.

“Ah, I wish I could come, but I have basketball practice tonight. And tomorrow. And the next day. And then the big game against SM High on Thursday. Coach thinks we should all fall at his feet in gratitude because we don’t have practice on Friday, but like, I don’t have any finals on Saturday, so how does that help me exactly?” Jaemin huffed in frustration before stifling a sneeze in his elbow. “Whatever, I’ll probably just end up sleeping from Friday afternoon straight through to Monday morning.”

“That’s so unfair, hyung. Can’t the principal make your coach cancel practice?” Jisung asked, a frown forming on his face.

“Yeah, he could, but I guess he cares more about our school rivalry. Whenever we face SM High, there’s always a lot of press, parents, alumni, and prospective students, so there’s kind of a lot riding on this game…”

Jaemin trails off as he notices Renjun staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“… what?”

“Jaemin, it’s only Monday and you already look like hell. At this rate, I’m not even sure you’ll make it to Thursday.”

Jaemin waited for his friend to laugh, or roll his eyes, or give some kind of signal that he was joking. But Renjun steadily held eye contact, trying to convey his concern for his friend.

Jaemin threw his friends a big smile to break the tension that had settled over them.

“Well, guess we’ll see! Good luck on your exams! See you at lunch!”

The four friends all said goodbye and wished one another luck as they split up to head to their respective classrooms. As soon as his friends were out of sight, Jaemin let the smile drop off his face and replaced it with a grimace as his head pounded.

It was definitely going to be a long week.

* * *

Somehow, Jaemin survived Monday. He got home around 6 pm, studied until 2 am, and woke up feeling sicker than the day before. He did his best to hide it so as not to worry his brother and friends further, and until Wednesday morning, he succeeded.

Although his cold symptoms were beginning to improve by Tuesday evening, Jaemin had now begun to develop a pretty bad cough. As he studied for his Wednesday exam, the exhausted boy was constantly sucking on cough drops. And to top it all off, he could hardly sleep thanks to his body being racked by coughs all night.

On Wednesday morning, Taeyong told him he was picking him up early from practice to go to the doctor. No buts.

After spilling his morning coffee (his only source of caffeine for the whole day) on the bus, being sent to the principal’s office for falling asleep in the afternoon review session, and finally being screamed at in front of the whole team by his coach for having to leave practice early the day before the big game, Jaemin could not wait to just go home and sleep.

Except he couldn’t. He had to go to the doctor and probably wait at least an hour to be seen. Then he had to go home and study for his chemistry exam the next morning. Then play in the most important game of the season. Luckily, his Literature teacher had decided not to give an exam on Friday, and instead have them turn in an essay on Monday. Jaemin sent all his gratitude to Two-Weeks-Ago-Jaemin who had been smart enough to write the essay well before exam week.

When the clock hit 5 pm, Jaemin quietly excused himself from practice, grabbed his stuff from the locker room, and headed out to the parking lot. He spotted Jaehyun’s red crossover waiting for him and stumbled into the back seat.

“Hey, Nana,” his older brother greeted him with a soft smile, turning around from the passenger seat to talk to him. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Jaemin replied as he closed the door, putting on his seatbelt and promptly slumping into his seat. “Hyung, do we really have to go? I have another exam to study for, and I really just want to go home and shower.”

Jaemin gave Taeyong his best puppy eyes, knowing his brother was weak to them. Taeyong bit his lip and Jaemin could see his resolve wavering when Jaemin was abruptly hit by a violent coughing fit. Jaehyun pulled out of the parking lot as Taeyong passed his little brother a water bottle from the cup holder. Jaemin accepted it gratefully, taking a few sips.

“I know you’re tired, Nana, but it’s important to be sure it hasn’t developed into anything more serious than a cold. Your cough sounds really bad, you may need something other than cough syrup to get better. And even if it isn’t anything worse, hopefully the doctor can prescribe you something stronger to help your cough.” Jaehyun met Jaemin’s gaze in the rearview mirror, licking his lips hesitantly before continuing. “Like this, you might not be able to play in—“

“Please don’t say it Jaehyun-hyung, I have to play tomorrow. It’s the biggest game of the season, and Minho-hyung is still out because of his ACL, so Hansol-hyung and I are the only half-decent shooting guards playing and I can’t let my team down and—”

Jaemin was interrupted by another coughing fit. He knew he was being a bit dramatic, but he couldn’t stand the idea of letting his team down.

“We’re not trying to upset you, Nana, we’re just worried about you,” Taeyong soothed, his heart filled with sympathy and worry. “Your health is the most important thing, you know?”

Jaemin grunted in reply, leaning against the nice cool window and closing his eyes.

The next thing he knew, Taeyong was shaking him awake as Jaehyun pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office.

The trio went in, filled out some paperwork, and sat down in the waiting room. Jaemin had brought his chemistry textbook with him to do some studying while his hyungs chatted quietly about college.

After about 45 minutes, Jaemin’s name was called, and he and Taeyong headed to the back while Jaehyun opted to wait in the lobby. The nurse went through the typical routine before leaving him in a room to wait for the doctor. After another 15 minutes, the door opened again.

“Hi there, my name is Dr. Kim. I hear you have a pretty bad cough, huh?”

Dr. Kim, a friendly middle-aged man, shook both their hands before listening to Jaemin’s heart and lungs.

“Well, your breathing sounds good, so it’s probably just a cold, but we’ll get you a chest x-ray just to be sure. And I can write you a prescription for a cough suppressant so you can go about your day easier.”

Jaemin breathed a sigh of relief.

“I have a basketball game tomorrow, I’ll be able to play, right?”

“As long as your x-ray comes back normal, you should be good to go. Do you play for NCT High?” Dr. Kim gestured at Jaemin’s practice shirt with their school’s mascot on it. “You know, I played point guard for them about 25 years ago. I’ll do my best to get you on that court, kiddo, you’ve gotta kick some SM High butt!”

Jaemin smiled, relieved that he would be able to play tomorrow. After another half hour or so, the doctor cleared him after a brief look at his x-ray and sent him on his way with a prescription for a cough suppressant.

Reuniting with Jaehyun in the lobby, the trio proceeded to pick up the medication, get takeout from their favorite restaurant, and finally, head home. As they finish eating dinner, Jaemin can feel the medicine beginning to work. He decides to get a few hours of studying in before finally getting (what he considered to be) an early night around midnight.

Since Taeyong and Jaehyun didn’t have classes until the afternoon tomorrow, Jaehyun was staying the night, and Taeyong insisted on the two driving Jaemin to school in the morning so he could get a little extra rest. Jaemin agreed easily, grateful that he wouldn’t have to face the chilly morning walk to the bus stop, and sent a quick message to his friends to let them know he would meet them at school the next day, before falling asleep only moments after his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Despite getting a whole 7 hours of sleep (the most he had gotten all week by a lot), Jaemin still woke up exhausted. Still, it was the day of the big game, so he did his best to push through. Between the medicine, the three cups of coffee he chugged, and the wonderful breakfast his brother prepared for him, Jaemin managed to convince himself he was starting to feel better.

As Jaehyun and Taeyong dropped him off at the school entrance with shouts of good luck and promises to see him at the game that night, Jaemin found himself shivering despite being wrapped up in every piece of outerwear his brother could find that morning. He waved to his friends who were waiting for him outside the gate and nearly fell over when Chenle gave him a big hug.

“Hyung, you look a bit better! Do you feel better? Are you playing tonight? Everyone is talking about the game!”

Jaemin smiled at the younger Chinese boy. “Of course I’m playing! A cold isn’t gonna stop me from beating SM High.”

While Jisung and Chenle cheered, Jaemin caught Renjun staring at him skeptically. He and Renjun had been best friends since kindergarten. Renjun had had trouble making friends because his Korean wasn’t very good, but Jaemin had been determined to be friends with everyone. Despite the language barrier, the two became inseparable. They had always known each other better than anyone else, and Jaemin was pretty sure Renjun knew he was lying about feeling better.

As the four boys walked to class, Renjun hung back a bit with Jaemin to talk without the younger two hearing them.

“You’re going to play tonight no matter what, aren’t you?” Renjun gave him a solemn look, and Jaemin looked down at his shoes to avoid it. Renjun gave a big sigh before speaking again. “I know better than to think I can talk you out of it. Just don’t die on the court, okay? I don’t want to have to make new friends my own age, and Yangyang probably won’t be able to move to Korea until college.”

Jaemin laughed at that, knowing how much Renjun hated most of the other kids in their grade, and how much he hated meeting new people.

“I’ll do my best not to die Injunnie, if only to save you from the horror of trying to be nice to the rest of our class. And I promise to let you say I told you so if I do die tonight.” Jaemin gave his best friend a winning smile while Renjun rolled his eyes and gave just a hint of a smile as they all headed to their exams.

* * *

Somehow, Jaemin made it through the exam and the rest of the day. By lunchtime, he was pretty sure he had a fever. He forced himself to eat, knowing he would need energy for the game tonight. He was in and out of sleep during his afternoon classes, but luckily his teacher didn’t catch him this time. As soon as class let out, the basketball players all headed straight to the gym to go over plays, warm up, and eat a light dinner that some of the parents had brought.

Despite the medicine keeping his cough under control, Jaemin found himself getting lightheaded throughout the afternoon, only adding to the burden of his fatigue. He made sure to eat and drink water, but nothing seemed to help.

About 30 minutes before the official warm-up began, the team from SM High arrived and their coach ushered them to their locker room as spectators began to file in.

After a team talk and a rousing speech from their coach, the team headed out to begin their warm-up, the bleachers already nearly full. Jaemin spotted Taeyong and Jaehyun sitting with Renjun, Chenle, Jisung and a few of their other friends from college. They all cheered and waved when they spotted him. Chenle had even made a poster with the “Go #13!!!” written on in big blue letters which he waved in the air like a mad man. Jaemin couldn’t help but laugh as he waved back, his heart warm from all the support.

As the players began warming up, Jaemin felt himself sweating more and breathing heavier than he knew he should be after such a short period of time. But he was determined to push through. Suddenly, a loud roar from the stands caught his attention as the opposing team made their way onto the court.

Jaemin surveyed the players as they began stretching. Even though this was Jaemin’s first year on the Varsity team, he recognized many of the other players from JV games and watching the Varsity games. However, one player caught his eye that he didn’t recognize. His eyes followed him, trying to get a better look.

Jersey number 23. He had light brown hair held back by a headband and muscles that Jaemin would kill for.

‘Damn, he’s really hot,’ Jaemin thought to himself, unable to draw his gaze away. Luckily, his cheeks were already red from warming up (and probably a fever), so nobody would notice if he was maybe blushing a little.

Jaemin watched as the Really Hot Guy™ made a perfect shot from behind the three-point line, a big smile making its way to his face as his teammate high-fived him, and wow okay Jaemin’s little gay heart was not gonna make it. How is it fair that one person can look that cute and that hot all at once?

“Na Jaemin, you’re up, let’s go!”

He was ripped from his admiration by his coach, jogging over to enter the drill they were running.

‘Focus,’ Jaemin thought to himself as he took a deep breath. ‘You’ve just got to make it through this game, then you can get a proper night’s sleep and spend the whole weekend on the couch.’

A few minutes later, the whistle blew signaling the end of warm-ups. Both teams lined up on their respective sides, and when the referee blew the whistle again, the rival teams both headed to the center of the court to high-five as a show of good sportsmanship.

Jaemin was mostly zoned out, functioning on auto-pilot as he high-fived each player and wished them luck. But he was quite literally shocked out of his stupor when he received a small shock from whoever’s hand he just high-fived. Jaemin quickly looked up to meet the eyes of the Really Hot Guy™ from earlier who seemed just as surprised as he did.

Jaemin’s foggy brain was struggling to understand what just happened. After a few seconds, he decided to brush it off as static electricity. It didn’t quite feel the same, but he didn’t have the energy to think on it with tip-off just moments away.

As the teams broke from their respective huddles to head to their starting positions, Jaemin noticed #23 staring at him with wide eyes. Jaemin averted his gaze and focused on the referee instead. Once he was in his position, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

‘Focus. Push through. You’ve got this.’ He opened his eyes, the ref tossed the ball, and the game began.

The first quarter ended with the score tied at 15-15. Jaemin was exhausted, but he was managing. He had even scored a couple of points. However, throughout the game, he had noticed the Really Hot Guy™ watching him. It made him nervous, but he opted to ignore it as he needed to put all his energy and focus into playing.

About halfway through the second quarter was when things started to go downhill for Jaemin. His head was beginning to spin, but he kept going. His limbs felt like lead, but he kept pushing. Suddenly, he felt himself collide with someone, and the next thing he knew he was on the floor.

The whistle blew, and the ref called a foul. He sat up, the world spinning even more than before. Why was it so hard to breathe? Someone was in front of him, talking to him. What was he saying?

“…so sorry, are you okay? Here, let me help you up,” Jaemin made out the number 23 on the jersey in front of him, his brain somehow making the connection between 23 and Jaemin’s newest crush.

As the boy grabbed his arm to help him stand up, Jaemin felt the shock once again, but it was somehow even more intense this time. It felt warm and exhilarating rather than painful, but this just further confused an already dazed Jaemin. Reflexively, he slapped the hand away. The two stared at one another in astonishment, Jaemin’s sluggish mind unable to make sense of what was happening.

“Are-are you—” The other boy began to stutter, but he was interrupted by two of Jaemin’s teammates coming over to help him up.

“You okay, dude? You’ve gotta shoot a free throw, c’mon.” The two lifted Jaemin off the floor and pulled him towards the free-throw line.

Jaemin was beginning to see black around the edges of his vision. It felt like his lungs couldn’t get enough air no matter how deeply he breathed. He stumbled a bit as he made his way to the line. He could see his coach yelling something at him, but he sounded so far away.

Someone was calling his name. It was so hard to breathe. His legs were giving out. He saw the floor approaching. He couldn’t do anything.

But he didn’t hit the floor. He could feel two strong arms wrapped around him, stopping his body from colliding with the hard gym floor.

He felt warm.

He felt safe.

He felt sparks all around him.

The last thing he saw was the face of his savior, the boy who had spent all night staring at him, the boy who made him feel sparks.

Then it all went black.

* * *

As Jaemin floated back to consciousness, he could hear the sound of a machine beeping and two people speaking in hushed voices.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open to find fluorescent lighting and ugly white ceiling tiles. He was in a bed, but not his own. He could feel something taped to the back of his left hand. He coughed a little before turning his head to where the voices were coming from.

“Nana! Oh my god, you’re awake, thank goodness. How are you feeling?” Taeyong began raking his hand through his little brother’s hair, and Jaemin leaned into the calming touch. He spotted Jaehyun standing behind his brother looking at him with concern.

“I feel… kinda okay, actually. What happened? Where am I?” Jaemin responded, his voice raspier than he expected.

“You’re in the Emergency Room. You collapsed in the second quarter of the basketball game tonight. I’m gonna go tell the doctor you’re awake,” Jaehyun explained, planting a kiss on Taeyong’s hair before heading out the door of the small room they were in.

“You gave us all quite a scare, Nana. When I saw you collapse on the court, I—,” Taeyong quickly wiped the tears from his face. Jaemin reached for his other hand, feeling guilty for making his brother cry.

“I’m sorry hyung, please don’t cry. I’m okay now, see?” He gave him a big smile, hoping to show his big brother that there was nothing to worry about.

Just then, Jaehyun returned with a woman in a white coat and scrubs.

“Hello Jaemin, my name is Dr. Park. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling alright. Maybe a little dizzy and tired.”

“Dr. Park, do you know why my brother collapsed? Dr. Kim said he just had a cold, but… would that make him pass out so suddenly?”

“We ran some more tests and took a second look at the chest x-ray from Dr. Kim. It was hard to see, but Jaemin actually has pneumonia. He passed out because he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. We’re going to put him on antibiotics and monitor him overnight, but he’s young and otherwise healthy, so he should recover within the next couple of weeks.”

The room was silent for a few moments while everyone absorbed the information.

“I’ll have the nurse come check on you in a little bit, but first I wanted to check if you have a concussion. You must’ve hit your head pretty hard when you fainted,” Dr. Park explained as she made her way to Jaemin’s bedside.

“I didn’t hit my head,” Jaemin responded without thinking.

“You didn’t?” She asked, clearly surprised. “What do you remember?”

“I… I think somebody… caught me? He…” All of a sudden, Jaemin’s brain but two and two together. He shot up, startling everyone in the room as he began to yell.

“He’s my soulmate! Oh my god, I’m so dumb, the sparks— I don’t even know his name! I only know his jersey number! And— oh my god, I slapped his hand away, what if he thinks I hate him?!” Jaemin let his head fall into his hands as it all hits him.

The room was shocked into silence at Jaemin’s revelation. He felt the comforting hand of his brother on his shoulder trying to calm him, but he was too overwhelmed for it to help much.

“He’s here.”

Three heads turned towards Jaehyun as he spoke.

“What—what do you mean he’s here?” Jaemin squeaked.

“He’s in the waiting room. He caught you when you collapsed and wouldn’t let go of your hand until the ambulance came. He kept saying you were his soulmate. He was so upset, he thought it was his fault you passed out because he knocked you over when he was trying to block you. When the EMTs took you out, his coach told him he had a game to finish and he just turned around and ran out of the gym.” Jaehyun’s mouth twitched as if suppressing a smile. Jaemin could only imagine how dramatic the scene must have looked to the spectators.

“A couple people from the stands, his friends I guess, followed him out,” Jaehyun continued. “Renjun texted Taeyong to let him know that he, Chenle and Jisung were waiting in the lobby, so I went out to let them know how you were like 20 minutes ago and there he was, sitting in the corner, still in his uniform with two other guys.”

As Jaehyun finished his explanation, the two brothers just stared at him in shock, jaws hanging wide open.

“Holy shit,” Taeyong whispered, “How did I miss all that? I didn’t even notice him.”

“Hyung, you were so distraught I don’t think you would’ve noticed even if the building had caught on fire,” Jaehyun joked, clearly attempting to release the tension that had settled over the room.

Just then, Dr. Park cleared her throat.

“I think I’ll leave you all to figure this out. Let me know if you need anything, I’ll ask the nurse to come check on you in a bit. Try to take it easy, Jaemin. And congratulations on meeting your soulmate.”

As she left the room, Jaemin was still trying to process everything Jaehyun had said.

His soulmate was here? He was waiting for him? Suddenly, a distressing thought came to him.

“Wait, how long have I been out?”

“About an hour and a half,” Jaehyun answered after checking his phone’s clock.

“He’s been waiting for me for an hour and a half?!”

Jaehyun shrugged and smirked a bit, “I guess so. Want me to go get him?”

“Uh… y-yeah, please…”

“I’ll be right back,” Jaehyun said, looking like he was holding back his laughter as he exited the room.

Jaemin felt butterflies in his stomach from both excitement and nerves. He was finally going to meet his soulmate. His other half.

As he impatiently awaited the arrival of his soulmate, Jaemin became acutely aware of the state he was currently in.

“Oh god, hyuuuung, my first meeting with my soulmate is going to be in an ugly hospital gown, covered in sweat and dying of pneumonia?! That’s even worse than Renjun tripping in the metro station,” Jaemin pouted as he tried to make his hair at least a little bit presentable.

Taeyong just giggled at his little brother’s distress.

“Technically, your first meeting was fainting into his arms in the middle of a basketball game. Sounds pretty romantic to me, Nana.”

Jaemin just buried his face in his hands and whined in embarrassment. Then, a thought occurred to him.

“Hyung, what if he doesn’t like me?” Jaemin asked, his voice barely audible.

It didn’t happen very often, but Jaemin had seen a handful of soulmate pairs who didn’t get along. Who cheated on each other. Who didn’t really like each other. Who hurt each other.

“Nana, of course he’ll like you. You’re charming and sweet and funny, what’s not to like? Besides, I don’t think he waited an hour and a half in the ER just to tell you he doesn’t like you. I’ll bet if you just smile at him once, he’ll fall head over heels for you.”

While Jaemin tried to mentally prepare himself to ~officially~ meet his soulmate for the first time, the door busted open to reveal his three best friends who all crowded around his bed and started talking at once.

Much to Jaemin’s surprise, it was Renjun who threw his arms around Jaemin’s neck as soon as he was close enough. Jaemin hugged him back, knowing Renjun must’ve been really upset if he was initiating skinship.

His best friend pulled back after a few seconds and slapped his arm without much force.

“You idiot, we were so worried about you! I’m pretty sure I explicitly told you not to die on the court, and what do you do? Oh, you go and faint. I’m saving my ‘I told you so’ for when you’re out of the hospital, but don’t think I’ve forgotten.” Renjun finished reprimanding him with a huff, crossing his arms and glaring at Jaemin, feigning anger when all he could feel was relief.

Jaemin pouted up at Renjun, hoping to show his friend how sorry he was for worrying him. But he knew no matter how much pouting he did, Renjun wasn’t going to let this go for at least the next decade.

“But hyung, why did you pass out? Do you, like, have a brain tumor or something?” Chenle asked, pushing Renjun out of the way to get his own hug from Jaemin.

“Haha, no, I just have pneumonia. I guess I wasn’t getting enough oxygen which made me pass out. They’re starting me on antibiotics, so the doctor said I should feel better in a week or two.”

The trio stared at Jaemin for a few seconds while Jaemin stared back in confusion.

“Hyung, you played basketball with pneumonia?” Jisung asked quietly.

“Wow, you really are an idiot,” Renjun said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Jaemin just shrugged in reply. It’s not like he knew he had pneumonia.

Just then, a knock on the door followed by Jaehyun poking his head inside got the attention of all five of the room’s occupants.

“Jaemin, there’s someone here to see you,” Jaehyun announced, his dimples growing more pronounced as he tried to hold back a smile.

Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung all turned back to look at Jaemin with inquisitive looks.

“It’s- umm. I- umm, maybe… met my… soulmate?” Jaemin squeaked out.

“YOU WHAT?!”

All three of his friends were flabbergasted by the news, but they quickly recovered to start shouting questions and words of incredulity at one another.

“Boys!” Taeyong yelled, effectively shutting them up and gaining their attention. “I think Jaemin and his soulmate probably want to finally get a chance to meet properly. Plus, it’s pretty late, maybe you three should head home so as not to worry your parents.”

The three friends agreed, albeit reluctantly, and left after telling Jaemin to feel better soon and text them in excruciating detail about how things go with his soulmate. As the three filed out of the room, they not so subtly checked out Jaemin’s soulmate, who he couldn’t quite see behind Jaehyun and the door.

“Taeyong-hyung, why don’t we go… get some coffee?” Jaehyun asked, both older boys glancing at Jaemin to confirm he was okay with them leaving.

Jaemin nods at them with a smile. Taeyong squeezes his hand and smiles softly at him.

“We won’t go far, just call us if you need anything, your phone is on the chair. And if you feel sick or tired or anything, just call for one of the nurses, okay?”

“I will, hyung, don’t worry.” Jaemin squeezed his hand in return, a nervous smile making its way to his face.

His two hyungs waved goodbye as they walked out, and Jaemin took a deep breath. A boy around Jaemin’s height stepped into the doorway, hair tousled and still dressed in his SM High basketball uniform.

The pair simply stared at each for a few moments before Jaemin decided to break the ice. He smiled shyly at the boy who returned the expression and took a careful step closer.

“Hi there, umm, my name is Na Jaemin. It’s- it’s really great to finally meet you. Uh, again, I guess.”

The other boy’s smile widened, repeating Jaemin’s name to himself. Upon hearing his name come from his soulmate for the first time, Jaemin felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

“Uh, my name is Lee Jeno, I’m so happy to have finally found you, I’ve- I’ve really been looking forward to meeting my soulmate my whole life, and now you’re finally here and I—” He paused, his face suddenly crumpling into a concerned frown. “Wait, are you okay? When you passed out on the court, I was so worried and then you didn’t wake up and it kinda seemed like you couldn’t breathe and—”

“I’m alright, I’m sorry for worrying you. The doctor said I have pneumonia, but I’ll be fine. I guess our first meeting was, well, kind of a mess, huh? Sorry about that.”

Jaemin laughed awkwardly, feeling responsible for maybe having dashed his soulmates big dreams of having a nice, romantic meet-cute.

“Wait— you have pneumonia? Why were you playing basketball?! You have to take care of yourself, that’s so dangerous! But I’m really glad you’re okay now. I really thought it must’ve been my fault when you fainted, because it was right after I blocked you. I’m so so sorry about that by the way, I really didn’t mean to knock you down, I just—”

“Jeno, it’s okay, we were just playing the game, and I promise you didn’t hurt me. I-I actually wanted to apologize for, I don’t know, I guess ignoring the sparks? When we high-fived, and when you tried to help me up, I was so out of it… I didn’t actually realize what was going on… I kinda just realized you must be my soulmate, like, five minutes ago,” Jaemin admitted, scratching his head bashfully. “I wanna blame it on being sick, but honestly? Might’ve ended up the same way even if I wasn’t, minus the whole collapsing into your arms like the female lead of a K-drama bit.”

Jeno’s face lit up with laughter, and Jaemin decided then and there that Jeno had the cutest smile he had ever seen.

“That actually makes me feel better, I was a bit worried maybe you didn’t want me to be your soulmate because I was a guy, or like, because our schools are rivals or something.”

Jaemin snorted, finding the idea of rejecting his soulmate over something as petty as a high school sports ridiculous.

“We can be like Romeo and Juliet, two lovers torn apart by the never-ending feud of our high school basketball rivalry,” Jaemin proclaimed dramatically.

The two boys broke into fits of laughter as the awkwardness of introductions dissipated, replaced by a feeling of familiarity and contentment.

“Umm, so, I really don’t want to, but I think I probably have to go now. My friends, Mark and Donghyuck, they’ve been waiting with me and we all have an 11 pm curfew and I don’t want to get them in trouble and, well, you should really get some rest.” Jeno paused before continuing a bit more timidly. “But, could I maybe, umm, take you out on a date sometime? When you’re feeling better of course!”

“I’d really like that,” Jaemin replied, nearly jumping out of his bed in excitement (but he wouldn’t, because he was in a hospital gown and boxers and that was not a look he wanted Jeno to see). “Here, I can put my number in your phone.”

“Uh, haha, I kinda ran out of the gym and didn’t think to grab any of my stuff… My friend texted my teammate to bring my stuff to school tomorrow, but I don’t actually have my phone with me…”

“Well then,” Jaemin giggled, already incredibly fond of his soulmate. “I guess you’ll just have to put your number in my phone, instead. But I’ll only let you if you promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me you’ll text me every day while I’m recovering so I don’t get lonely.”

“That’s a promise I can keep very easily.”

Jeno beamed when Jaemin passed him his phone, quickly inputting his information into Jaemin’s phone. When he passed it back, Jaemin checked the contact to see Jeno had saved it under the name “✨My Soulmate✨”. He smiled and quickly sent a cute text so Jeno would see it as soon as he got his phone back.

“Umm, so, I guess I’ll see you soon?” Jeno looked at Jaemin with hopeful puppy dog eyes that probably rivaled his own.

“I’m looking forward to it already, Jeno.”

The pair just smiled at one another for a few moments before Jeno reluctantly moved towards the door. They both waved goodbye as Jeno shut the door behind him.

Once the door had closed, Jaemin laid back down and curled onto his side. He couldn’t stop seem to stop smiling. He had met his soulmate. He had met his soulmate and he was handsome and caring and everything Jaemin could’ve dreamed for.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, Jaemin hoped his dreams would be filled with a certain handsome basketball rival whose soft smiles made his heart flutter. Even though the week had pretty much been a disaster, the ending had kind of made up for all the rest. But hey, at least they would have a great story to tell people about how they first met. And really, what more could he ask for?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I always appreciate comments, and constructive criticism is always welcome :) This is my first NCT fic, but I have a few more in the works. I have a couple of oneshots planned, and a longer Johnil fic I've been writing off and on for a couple of months, but please let me know if there are any au's or ships you want to see in the future! I'll be moving across the Atlantic to start grad school soon, so I might not post too often, but quarantine gave me a lot of time to get back into writing and I'd really like to keep going!


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